Tressel on Coleman suspension: 'We'll go forward'

Tuesday

Sep 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 29, 2009 at 9:23 PM

Jim Tressel today stood by the statement that he and Ohio State released yesterday on being disappointed about the Big Ten's decision to suspend senior safety Kurt Coleman for one game because of a helmet-first hit on Illinois quarterback Eddie McGee on Saturday. In fact, Tressel said he would have nothing new to say about the particular incident and punishment, and he stood by that, too.

Jim Tressel today stood by the statement that he and Ohio State released yesterday on being disappointed about the Big Ten's decision to suspend senior safety Kurt Coleman for one game because of a helmet-first hit on Illinois quarterback Eddie McGee on Saturday. In fact, Tressel said he would have nothing new to say about the particular incident and punishment, and he stood by that, too.

Because he was asked for clarification on his statement from the day before, in which he and OSU athletics director Gene Smith said they were disappointed that, even though the officials working the game threw a flag but did not eject Coleman, the conference two days later elected to make the judgement that Coleman's action was "pre-meditated" and that he was "targeting a defenseless" player.

"You're killing me. I made my comments yesterday on that subject," Tressel said.

But when asked how Coleman took the news of the suspension, Tressel said, "He took it like a man, and we'll go forward."

Though Tressel did not agree with the league's decision to suspend Coleman, he said he and his staff have emphasized throughout the year the importance of not leading with the helmet when making contact. The NCAA put out a directive before the season that watching for such hits would be a point of emphasis this year, as much a for protection for the hitter as the hittee.

"We've been talking about that and it's -- we don't want to violate the rules or have anything happen from an injury standpoint or a penalty standpoint," Tressel said. "Selfishly we don't want to lose 15 yards and those kinds of things.

"We talk about it constantly, and like I said, we're going to move forward and get better and talk about it no less, that's for sure.

As for who will take the place of Coleman in the starting lineup on Saturday night at Indiana (3-1, 0-1), Tressel pointed out that senior Anderson Russell -- beat out for the starting job at the other safety by Jermale Hines earlier in the season -- likely will slide over.

Despite the rise of Hines, Russell has played extensively the past three games on the nickel defense, entering as a safety with Hines sliding down into the nickel slot. But Coleman's absence could mean more playing time for Orhian Johnson in the nickel package, and that Zach Domicone, in essence coming off the injured list, could see some time, as well as Nate Oliver.

"You can never look at losing a player as something that stops you in your tracks because guys sprain ankles, they twist knees, they pull hamstrings, they hurt elbows," Tressel said. "You better have been getting ready the next guy at any position. So do you like losing guys? No. I think we've been pretty fortunate."

The defense is coming off two straight shutouts, the first time the Buckeyes have turned that feat since 1996, but they will be going against an Indiana offense that runs the Pistol attack and last week fell just short in a 36-33 loss at Michigan.

"I know they're excited about their first Big Ten home game, so our focus, our preparation, our advancement, our progress has got to be straightforward and incremental as we get ready to go on the road in the Big Ten," Tressel said.

On the injury front, he said starting linebacker Ross Homan, who left the Illinois game 16 plays or so after suffering a slight concussion, is expected to return to practice Wednesday. Otherwise, Tressel issued no timetable on the return of senior right tackle Jim Cordle, who is recovering from a foot/ankle injury that kept him out of the past two games.

tmay@dispatch.com

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